The Gospel Set

The Bible doesn’t have to be intimidating.

We were inspired by the way scripture was originally written, by individual authors with diverse points of view. Manuscripts is printing the books of the Bible in easy to read volumes that are beautiful and small enough to place in your pocket. 

To start, we’re printing the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Inside the books

These pocket-sized books are designed to make reading the Bible less daunting. 

Each Gospel is formatted like a traditional book. The text is arranged in one column, without verse numbers or footnotes. 

We used the New American Standard Bible, a translation widely respected for its word-for-word accuracy. Jesus’ words are printed in red and are placed in their own paragraphs for emphasis.

Dimensions

These books are 5.5 inches tall x 3.75 inches wide x less than 1 inch deep. Easy to hold, easy to read, easy to carry. 

Easily fits in pockets and purses

Thin enough to go anywhere

Manuscripts compared to the Washburn College Bible

What You Get

The Gospel Set

We are so excited to get these books in peoples hands! As a supporter of this Indiegogo project, you not only get a set of books for yourself, but you get to be part of pushing Manuscripts mission to make the Bible less intimidating for all. When you back this project you get us one step closer to moving forward with our goal of publishing the Bible, not just the Gospels, in individual, easy-to-read volumes.

Benefits

Easier to read 

Designed with bigger font, thicker pages, one column of text, and no verse numbers to make the Bible easier to read.

Portable

The rounded edges, durable cover, and small size make these books perfect for daily use.

Thoughtful Design

We thought through every detail of these books, from how the cover feels to how Jesus' words are presented, to make something we know you'll love!

The Big Picture

Our dream doesn't stop with the Gospels

We started with the Gospels because of the role they play in the Bible as a whole. Jesus is the most significant figure in human history and the Gospels are the Bible's accounts of His life and teachings. For the future, our goal is to produce the entire Bible in individual volumes that are more approachable.

When you back this project you support this vision.

Background

The idea behind Manuscripts began with a New Testament History class. In this course, I learned about how the Bible became what is now. I was fascinated by how dozens of individual works were adopted into the singular collection that became the canonical Bible we read today.

From my work designing websites, I realized the way information is formatted and shown directly impacts whether people stay and read or leave and never come back. I felt like my Bible was not easy to approach, at least not for the casual reader. 

The way people consume information has vastly changed over the years. Attention spans are shorter. Heavy books with tissue-thin pages densely crowded with text feel overwhelming and intimidating. Applying the same thought process I used in building websites, I began to think about how the Bible could become less intimidating. I knew that the text wasn’t boring, but the format was keeping many from reading it actively.

Then it hit me. Why not go back to the past? Why not go back to the manuscripts, when the focus was on the authors and the text existed as separate volumes? Today, the entire Bible and virtually endless amounts of information exist at our fingertips with smartphones and computers. What most people want from a book is a better reading experience, not more clutter.

By printing the books of the Bible in individual volumes, one can enjoy all the benefits of a traditional book. You can do away with see-through pages and tiny fonts and instead hold something sturdy and easy to read. By removing verse numbers and notes in the margins we can create a distraction-free experience that allows the reader to focus on the Bible’s amazing stories.

-Giancarlo Ospina, Manuscripts Co-founder

Funding

With your help, we will continue to produce The Gospels in our distinct format and launch a vision that goes far beyond Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We have the books designed, we have our printer selected, our concept has been tested, and we have already successfully funded our first printing of The Gospels. Now, you can back this project with confidence, knowing that you will help us continue to get The Gospels into more hands.

In the end, we just want to see more people reading the Bible. These books are a way for people to add scripture to their daily life. And for those who have never read the Bible, they’re a new chance to see what the Gospels actually say.

Testimonials